To understand how prior art brackets for venetian blinds have worked, one must first understand the construction of venetian blind headrails. The headrails typically extend the full width of the venetian blind. They typically are U-shaped comprising a bottom web having two parallel flanges extending perpendicular from the respective edges of the web. Finally, the flanges terminate in inwardly curled lips. The resulting structure forms a channel into which the inwardly curled lips extend.
Heretofore, brackets for venetian blind headrails have usually been mounted at the ends of such headrails. Such conventional brackets have usually been supplied in pairs of differing configuration, one for each end of the headrail. Said brackets frequently have had a hinged door, which when opened, encapsulate the U-shaped channel of the headrail.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,423 to Vecchiarelli disclosed a typical bracket of this type. Because the end brackets extend above the headrail, they are readily observable. Thus, such brackets must be painted to match the headrail. This is a disadvantage by virtue of the large quantities of various colored brackets that must be kept in inventory. The use of such brackets also leave a gap between the top of the headrail and the ceiling to which they are attached thereby allowing excessive light to enter the room. Therefore, inventors have created several types of brackets in order to overcome the aforementioned problems:
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,818 to Georgopoulos discloses a bracket that has two shelves on which the lips of the headrail rest. The headrail is secured to the Georgopoulos bracket by causing one of the flanges to ride up on the edge of one of the shelves until the lip of the flange is resting on the shelf while the other flange is already suspended from the opposite shelf.
Since the support shelves described in the Georgopoulos Patent are not flexible, the flanges of the headrail must be flexible or else the headrail cannot be attached to the bracket. Removal of the headrail is only accomplished by rotating the bracket within the channel of the headrail with a tool, such as a screwdriver, so as to remove the support shelves from under the lips of the headrail. This seriously limits the removal of the bracket to situations where the top of the channel is openly accessible so that the bracket can be manually rotated within the channel. Because of the need to rotate the bracket for removal, the bracket cannot be tightly affixed to the mounting surface. Another problem is that the Georgopoulos bracket must be attached to another angled bracket for vertical mounting.
Another example of a relevant prior art bracket is U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,644 to Oskam. Oskam discloses a complex bracket which causes a U shaped channel to be attached at any place along the open side. However, the bracket is made by the combination of several separate pieces, which make it expensive to produce and difficult to mount.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,974 to Anderson, et al. discloses a bracket which uses parallel tangs to lock the bracket in the channel of the headrail, and which releases the bracket from the channel by rotating the base member until the tangs become disengaged. However, in order to release the channel there must be access to the base member so that the base can be rotated. This is not always possible where the channel is necessarily recessed.
To mount the Anderson, et al. bracket to a vertical surface, an additional bracket must be used. Unfortunately, the bracket allows excessive light to enter from above the channel as a result of the base member extending above the channel. Moreover, because the base member must rotate in order to remove the headrail, the bracket cannot be tightly affixed to the mounting surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,706 to Anderson discloses a bracket that may be secured to the headrail at any point along the channel. However, the bracket is made by a combination of separate parts. Thus, it is expensive to produce and subject to sticking and binding. By necessity, the bracket extends above the top of the U-shaped channel thus causing excessive light to enter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,443 issued to Rowe, while covering a form of venetian blind bracket, does not possess the snap on characteristics of the present invention. Rowe utilizes a cumbersome two-piece structure requiring additional time and energy to assemble.